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Newscast 06.14.22: Governor Reynolds creates School Safety Bureau and a bill that would encourage more young people to become mental health providers in Iowa

Fund allocation for the Governor's School Safety Bureau
governor.iowa.gov
Fund allocation for the Governor's School Safety Bureau

Governor Kim Reynolds says today she will use federal COVID-relief funds to create a new school safety bureau at the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Reynolds is putting 100 million dollars into launching the safety bureau with the mission of preventing shootings at Iowa’s public and private schools.

Most of the money will go into grants to improve safety at individual school buildings. The plan also puts money into emergency radios for classrooms, safety assessments and software to detect and anonymously report threats.

Reynolds says the plans are not new but took on greater importance after the attack in Uvalde, Texas where 19 students and two teachers were killed.
The school safety bureau will be established using money given to states by Congress through the American Rescue Plan and emergency relief funding for schools.

Governor Kim Reynolds yesterday signed two bills into law that will address a lack of treatment options for Iowans seeking mental health care services.One of them sets up a loan repayment program for students who agree to work in an underserved are of Iowa after they get a degree in the mental health field.
The other new law will let a state board issue provisional licenses to doctoral students in psychology, so they can practice during their internship with a licensed psychologist.

Governor Reynolds signed a total of 21 bills into law on Monday. One will let adults with liability insurance drive all-terrain vehicles on two-lane primary highways — if the ATV is equipped with headlights. Another will increase the state incentive to school districts that share superintendents, special education directors and school resource officers.

Today, U.S. Republican Member of Congress Randy Feenstra of Hull voted for, and the U.S. House of Representatives passed, the Supreme Court Police Parity Act by a vote of 396 to 27. This bipartisan legislation provides enhanced security to Supreme Court Justices and their families amid an alarming uptick in threats against Justices and their families.

Last week, A man armed with a pistol, a knife and other weapons was arrested near the Maryland home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh after he said he traveled from California to kill the Supreme Court justice, federal officials said.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem at the Sioux Falls city hall building in June 2020.
Stephen Groves
/
AP
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem at the Sioux Falls city hall building in June 2020. The state's coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are rising, but Noem has said they are in good shape.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has requested a presidential disaster declaration as the result of damage from a May 12 storm system that included tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding. The request is meant to pave the way for federal funding to help with recovery, although it is not guaranteed. Noem is asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help pay for repairs to public infrastructure. The storms resulted in two deaths. There were 14 reported tornadoes and and wind gusts of more than 100 mph in some places. A preliminary assessment indicates more than $6.7 million in damage was done to public infrastructure in 20 counties and on two reservations. Nearly 70,000 customers experienced power outages.

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